USAID Iraq Administrative Reform Project Monthly Progress Report, July 2014

The project's staff members attended meetings and training sessions, held workshops, and provided technical support to ministry and provincial partners. One notable achievement was the completion of a water treatment plant in the Governorate of Wasit, where Project Management Institute techniques were successfully applied throughout the entire life cycle of the project. The plant will provide clean water for the governorate's growing population. USAID-Tarabot advisors and partnering engineers celebrated the project in a ceremony hosted by the governor. The expanding ownership of Tarabot initiatives by the Government of Iraq was evident in activities to support the handover of the One-Stop-Shop service center and the Center of Excellence program to the Council of Ministers' Secretariat (COMSEC). Tarabot held several meetings with COMSEC's Deputy Secretary General to agree on the formation of a committee within COMSEC to manage the Center of Excellence program and to discuss areas of needed assistance in the roll out of the initiative to other Government of Iraq entities. USAID-Tarabot also continued to advocate for the adoption of standard bidding documents with its governmental partners. This month, Tarabot assisted several partners in the piloting of standard bidding documents on important construction projects. Technical support was provided to the Ministry of Construction and Housing to prepare the necessary documents for the construction of a laboratory in Baghdad. Similar assistance was provided to the Ministry of Health in the preparation of Requests for Proposals for the construction of hospitals, and the preparation of documents for the construction of a bridge project in Babil. The Iraq Solution for Regulatory and Administrative Reform (ISRAR) unit has been working with the Ministry of Trade to support the elimination of import and export licenses in Iraq. The submission of draft recommendations to the ministry was well received by the minister, and referenced by the Prime Minister's recent decision to annul import licenses. Additionally, the formalization of the cost share agreement between ISRAR and the Government of Iraq this month further cements the government's growing ownership of the initiative. In July, USAID-Tarabot engaged in a variety of activities, including formal assessment meetings, action planning, and implementation workshops. A total of 76 events were carried out by USAID-Tarabot in July, with 43 events held in Baghdad and 33 events delivered on location in 7 provinces. The events supported 11 ministries, 24 events supported the governors' offices, 1 event occurred directly with executive offices, and 1 event was held directly with an NGO. The Central Unit continued with its regulatory reviews throughout July, completing a total of 1,028 reviews. The ministries have completed a total of 877 reviews, bringing the total number of reviews uploaded to the e-Guillotine system to 1,905. The elimination of import licenses in Iraq is a major reform effort that has come to fruition, with the Prime Minister's Advisory Council signing the cost share agreement between ISRAR and the Government of Iraq, finalizing the contract. The project's progress in July demonstrates the commitment to and ownership of Tarabot-supported initiatives by the Government of Iraq, and the determination of the project to transfer and anchor systems and knowledge achieved through years of assistance.